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There are currently 15 member reviews
for The Book Thief
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Mary (St Paul MN)
Great Book!
What a wonderful read! Once I got started I could not put it down. "Death" as the narrator was an interesting concept and it worked very well. There were many beautiful and powerful passages in the book. I started to underline them , but then realized I'd be underling a lot of the book! Liesel and the other characters stayed with me long after I finished the book. I would recommend this book for young and old alike.
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Ann (San Antonio TX)
Words for ALL ages
This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is definitely not just for young people and I shall remember the characters for a long time.
The magic relationships that we see grow & deepen between Liesel & her foster parents, dear Rudy, and Max & Ilsa, the Mayor's wife, point to the importance of words & their power. At the beginning we find Liesel begging her foster father to teach her the words so that she can read. Which he lovingly does. At the close of The Book Thief, we learn we are reading her book. It is her story and we are privileged to read it.
The Book Thief challenges our humanity & inhumanity. This is a must read for book clubs!
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Lisa (Wheeling IL)
Not what I expected
Although it took me a while to get into the rhythm of the book I liked the way it was structured and found myself drawn into the many relationships between the people who lived on and visited Himmel Street. Once you get past the fact that Death is the narrator and realize it is a book of faith not abandonment, the book comes alive. I found myself liking Mama and Papa although I expected them to be the evil foster parents depicted much of the time in literature. I half expected to find out that there was a pre-war connection between Liesel and Max or that Liesel was secretly Jewish. Having been to Munich and Dachau I was very aware of how close the camp was to its actual neighbors thus I could envision Liesel and Rudy watching the Jews being marched to the camp. I would not consider this Young Adult literature and am surprised it has been classified as such. When Max began his first book hidden in the basement I likened it to the diaries written on scraps of paper inside the camps which have become such an integral part of Holocaust history. This is a book with a unique premise that keeps the reader's attention about a time in history we can never forget.
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Mary (Claremont CA)
The Book Thief
I have just finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. At first, I was a bit put off by the format...everything was in very short sections, but as I continued, the sections lengthened and I was thoroughly caught up in the story line.
Having Death as the narrator provided a very interesting point of view. We don't tend to think of "Death" as being a "job," but "he" came across as an intelligent, thoughtful being who went about doing what was needed, commenting on humanity as "he" went on about his tasks. I have heard it said by many that they don't fear "Death" itself, but the actual process of dying. Zusak's personification of "Death" supports this concept.
While it is hard for me, as a Jew, to sometimes accept the fact that there were Good Germans during that time period, there were good and innocent people who were caught up in the events of WWII. And, as in all conflicts, the most unlikely people turn out to be heroes and persons of great compassion, understanding and love.
I would highly recommend this books. The characters are all intriguing and there is much more to them that what is immediately present.
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Lisa (Beacon Falls CT)
The Book Thief
Exceptional, captivating, heartwarming... so many words to describe how excellent I found The Book Thief. One need Liesel's "words" to describe the many emotions provoked by this wonderful story. The characterizations are outstanding. Each character has their own special quality to regard. I highly recommend The Book Thief. And have already done so!
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Nancy (Denver NC)
Sad, Sad, Wonderful Book
It’s hard to believe this book was written for young adults. Everyone should read it.
It’s not just the plot that will draw you into this book. It’s the way it’s written that will hold you just as enthralled. Narrated by Death, colors are used to describe the surroundings as souls are taken up. Within the beautiful words is an ugly world of Nazi Germany during World War 2.
The main character, Leisel, goes through more tragedy in her young life (not short life, for she lives longer than almost every other character in the book) than we can imagine. The theme of the book, while touching on the fate of German Jews, is centered around poor non-Jewish Germans of that awful time. Leisel’s most precious possessions are books she first finds, then begins stealing. She uses them to comfort her neighbors while they are hiding in a basement during the air raids.
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Debra (West Chicago IL)
Death and the Dictator
This book was an interesting twist on a tragedy we've read/heard about for over half a century. Death as a character, the narrator, was a little difficult to accept in the beginning but it did work quite well. I found myself feeling empathy for Death. I didn't connect to the rest of the characters as I sometimes do in a book but think the author did an excellent job of portraying both the dilemma and the failure of the German people to protect/protest the torture and killing of the Jewish people. While this is a tough subject for young people, I am pleased that Markus Zusak is bringing this reality of terror and dictators to a younger generation. The book would be great for a book club or classroom discussion.
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